Rainwear, or more particularly, rain jackets have been used for many years. Typically, rain jackets are made of a waterproof material or made of a conventional material and layered with a waterproof coating. Common waterproof materials used to manufacture rain wear include rubber or state-of-the-art materials such as GORE-TEX.RTM. or similar alternative. Waterproof-coated rainwear is typically made of nylon or similar fabric and coated with an outer layer of waterproof coating such as poly-vinyl chloride (PVC).
Rain jackets enable users to venture outdoors in the rain, snow or sleet without the use of umbrellas and without getting wet. Users of rain jackets include school children, hikers, and everyday joggers and walkers. One aspect of each of these groups, and especially school children and hikers, is that they carry knapsacks (or day packs or backpacks) to hold some of their belongings. It is, therefore, desirable to provide a jacket that people who wear knapsacks can use to protect themselves from the elements as well as their knapsacks.
One conventional article of clothing that people have used to cover themselves and their knapsack are ponchos, which basically are large sheets having a hole for one's head and possibly slots for one's arms. Consequently, ponchos are worn quite loosely over the body, and therefore, can cover a knapsack as well as the user.
Unfortunately, because the basic premise of poncho design is its simplicity, ponchos are cumbersome to use and often ineffective. Ponchos leave a large amount of material hanging loose on the body or dangling from the user's body. For this reason, windy conditions, which usually accompany inclement weather or precipitation, can render a poncho useless for protecting a wearer from the elements. Further, because ponchos are worn loosely on the body, the material can impede mobility, especially when walking through dense flora. Accordingly, ponchos work their best when one is standing still, but do not work well when the user is moving. It is, therefore, desirable to provide an article of clothing that people can wear to protect themselves and their knapsacks from the elements, yet is less cumbersome and more effective than a poncho.
Rain jackets are far less cumbersome and much more effective than ponchos, but cannot be used to also protect a knapsack worn by the user from the elements. It is, therefore, desirable to provide a jacket that people who wear knapsacks can use to protect their knapsack from the elements as well as themselves. Because people who use knapsacks often wear jackets when not wearing their knapsacks, it also is desirable to provide a jacket that both (1) can protect a knapsack as well as the user and (2) can simulate a conventional jacket when the user is not wearing a knapsack.